


Hidden

by Shallala



Category: TMNT (2007), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Abuse, AbusedLeo, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Other, ProtectiveRaph
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2020-01-01 01:18:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18325784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shallala/pseuds/Shallala
Summary: Raph resigned to the fact that Leo abandoned them, and he wouldn't come home from South America. He wasn't an optimistic, naive fool, like Mikey, who kept hoping.But one night, Splinter asked him to bring his brother home.





	Hidden

This will be an AbusedLeo story. Just warning...

Raph stalked through the silent, dark lair, cautiously. He really didn’t want to wake any of his brothers, not to mention Splinter. It would have been really uncomfortable to explain the reason of his nightly escapade, or his busted knuckles. Smirk on his lips, green eyes narrowed, he stretched lazily, as he padded across the dark corridor. 

He felt calm, and content. He really needed this, ( to be able to let loose, release the pent up anger) because most of the time he was hardly able to control the raging monster that lived under his skin. His overworked muscles burned, but this was a good kind of ache, it meant he done his work right, beating the shit out of the criminal scums of New York. Exhaustion settled into his limbs, but he didn’t mind it, as he already tucked away the Nightwatcher costume. He could hardly wait to get into his comfy hammock, and sleep through the next nine hours.  


He abruptly stopped, as he saw the flickering of candle lights through the dojo’s paper shoji doors. Since Leo left, no one really used the dojo anymore. Donnie, and Mikey stopped training, and Raph preferred his weight lifting equipement installed in his room. Their old father spent most of his time in his room, or in front of the TV, watching soaps.  
The dojo should have been dark, and abandoned, just like every other night he came home. He mercilessly crushed the glimmer of hope, because he didn’t want to feel the familiar sting of disappointment. He realized long time ago, that Leo left them for good. He wasn’t a naive, optimistic fool like Mikey, who kept hoping. So the occupant of the dojo could only be Splinter. He shrugged the feeling of foreboding, and confusion, as he changed his direction towards the dojo. 

What was Splinter doing in the dojo at this time of the night?  
Raph rarely showed it, but he loved his father. He didn’t idolized, or worshipped the ground he walk on, like Leo did, the little ass-kisser. But he adored him too. Splinter always ment safety, and strength, and understanding. When he entered his teenage years, his violent outbursts became more frequent, and dangerous, he had serious problems controlling his anger. One afternoon Splinter revealed that in his youth, as Hamato Yoshi he was very impulsive too. So his father understood, not that he tolerated his behaviour. When he hurt his brothers in anger, he was punished, in form of extra chores, or extra laps during their morning, and evening runs.  


He took the last few steps running, and tore the shoji door open. He breathed a sigh of relief, as he saw his father kneeling on the tatami mat, eyes closed, surrounded by scented candles. As he entered the room, his eyes started burning, irritated by the heavy scented smoke of the incense. He felt like it was coating his throat, suffocating him. He didn’t understood why the hell Splinter and Leo loved that stinking shit.  
The place was lit only by the flickering candle lights, leaving most of the dojo shrouded in darkness. In the warm dim light, the old rat looked even more frail. Raph furrowed his brows. His father didn’t have his usual strength, and quickness any more. Years of hardship has taken a toll on his health.  


Raph could remember, the first few years after their mutations were really though, especially for Splinter. The transition between Hamato Yoshi and Splinter the rat wasn’t smooth. He had to get used to his new body, had to deal with the physical, and emotional aftereffects of the mutation. Before Donnie started fixing, and building things, they often spent their evenings in total darkness, hunger gnawing in their stomachs, or shivering, huddled together for warmth, wrapped up in some tattered blankets, while Splinter was topside scavenging. Splinter tried to take care of them, the best as he could, and he always put the little turtles needs before his own.  


The red banded turtle’s musings were cut short, as Splinter opened his eyes, and with a bony hand, he motioned the second oldest closer. Raph slowly kneeled in front of his father. Than his jaw dropped in surprise, as the old rat bowed. What the actual fuck! It wasn’t a full bow of course, but the dipping of his head was unmistakable. The silence continued for a few seconds, and Raph felt like an absolute idiot, as he stared at his father, jaw hanging, eyes wide, in shock.  


-Please Raphael, don’t refuse an old rat’s request.- The old rat was almost begging... Okay... This whole situation was surreal, and started to weird him out. Silence stretched out between them, uncomfortable.  


-Please, bring your brother home.- whispered the old mutant, and placed his hand gingerly on Raph’s forearm.  
Raph felt his pulse skyrocket, and he jumped on his feet, snarling, face red in anger.  


-Are you fucking kidding me?!?!  


-RAPHAEL!!!- Splinter rose too, his voice imposing. The loud noise of his walking stick being banged against the floor, reverberate through the dojo. Pavlovian conditioning was a bitch, the red banded turtle thought darkly, as he automatically dropped to his knees again. From a very young age, obedience to Splinter was ingrained in their personality, following the old master’s orders meant difference between life, and death.  


\- Fearless made his choice. He abandoned us!!! - Raph growled. He couldn’t stop the ugly snear curling out on his upper lip. Even being god knows how many thousand kilometers away in central America, Leo still managed to be the hot topic of the family. Splinter walked a few steps away from his kneeling son, and he started speaking, voice weak.  


-My son, you have to understand, I raised… trained Leonardo differently than the rest of you.- Raph glanced up at the old master still pissed, but Splinter reverted his gaze.  


-I had to make him hard. Hard enough to be able to make even the most difficult decisions, to be able to ensure our clan’s survival.  
Raph knelt on the ground tense, jaw muscles flexing and unflexing repeatedly, biting back the words, and questions trying to burst out of him.  


-I did things to him I’m not proud of.- said the old mutant, with a sight, deep regret in his voice.  
Raph stared at Splinter for a minute, not fully getting the implications of his words, as he shook his head and shivered. As the realization slowly dawned on him he swallowed. His heart was racing, pounding in his chest, as the sound of blood rushing past his eardrums created a deafening white noise. He almost didn’t catch Splinter’s next words:  


-I don’t know how much time I have left, and I would like to make amends to him.  


Suddenly everything was too much. The heavy scent of the incense was still tickling his throat, and he felt nauseous. His fisted hands cramped, and as he looked down, he saw his knuckles turned white. He felt like a storm was brewing inside him and he was overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of it. His father must be lying. He would have never hurt his perfect little trophy son.  


He realized Splinter stood next to him, his wrinkled hand rested on his shoulder. And Raph just couldn’t take it anymore. He violently shook off his father’s hand, and almost pushed the old rat over, as he escaped the dojo, and ran through the lair. 

Splinter stood in the entrance of their home, shoulders slumped, eyes wet, watching his son disappear, as the darkness of the the tunnel swallowed him.


End file.
